As is well known, a household refrigeration apparatus (or “refrigerator”) is an apparatus which has a certain storage space and keeps food or the like stored therein cool or frozen. The storage space inside the refrigerator may be divided into a cooling compartment, which is kept at a temperature above zero, and a freezing compartment, which is kept at a temperature below zero.
Recently, with the increase in the demand for purified water and ice at home, demand has increased for a refrigeration apparatus equipped with an integral water purifier and ice maker. According to such a type of refrigeration apparatus, the ice maker may be mounted to any one of a freezing compartment, a cooling compartment and a door.
In general, the refrigeration apparatus equipped with the integral water purifier and ice maker has a dispenser provided at a front surface of the door so that water or ice can be dispensed therefrom. A conventional dispenser typically has a structure resembling that shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a conventional dispenser mounted to a refrigeration apparatus.
Referring to FIG. 1, a dispenser body 11 mounted to a front surface of a door of a refrigeration apparatus includes a cavity which is a concave space formed in the door. The cavity may accommodate a water outlet 12, an ice outlet 13, an ice guide 14, a water discharge lever 15 and an ice discharge lever 16.
The ice outlet 13 is formed in a portion of the dispenser body 11, the ice guide 14 is coupled to the front end of the ice outlet 13, and the water outlet 12 is formed in another portion of the dispenser body 11, which is positioned in front of the ice outlet 13.
The water discharge lever 15 has a switch (not shown) provided at a rear surface thereof, and is mounted to a portion (exposed to the front) of the ice guide 14. By pressing the water discharge lever 15, a user can obtain water in a container, such as a cup, from the water outlet 12. Here, the water discharge lever 15 may be, for example, defined as a mechanical switch button.
The ice discharge lever 16 has a switch (not shown) provided at a rear surface thereof, and is mounted to a portion of the inner wall surface of the cavity. By pressing the ice discharge lever 16, a user can dispense ice to a container, such as a cup, through the ice guide 14 from the ice outlet 13. Here, the ice discharge lever 16 may be, for example, defined as a mechanical switch button.
However, in such a conventional dispenser, the water discharge lever 15 and the ice discharge lever 16 are located at different positions in such a manner that the water discharge lever 15 is positioned adjacent to the ice outlet 13 and the ice discharge lever 16 is positioned at the innermost portion of the dispenser cavity of the dispenser body 11, which may increase the complexity of the assembly processes. Further, because the ice discharge lever is directly assembled to the dispenser cavity of the dispenser body 11, even if only the ice discharge lever 16 breaks, there is inconvenience because the whole dispenser must be dissembled in order to be repaired.